


i don't wanna say goodnight (i've never been more sure)

by Woahsos



Category: All Time Low (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Rated teen for language, SO MUCH FLUFF, glorifying chicago a bit, i looped afterglow the entire time i was writing this, it'll be linked in the notes, oh this is a sequel to a prompt i posted on tumblr, uhhh I think that's it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:34:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28119984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Woahsos/pseuds/Woahsos
Summary: A chill washes over his arms and he wishes he would’ve brought a heavier jacket. There’s only so much that Jack’s warm arm around his shoulders can do, and it’s nothing compared to the harsh city winds. Still, he can’t confidently say that he’d rather be back in his warm hotel room, because Jack’s here and Jack wouldn’t be back in the room and Alex doesn’t want to be anywhere without Jack.The weight of the engagement ring rests heavily in Alex’s back pocket.
Relationships: Jack Barakat/Alex Gaskarth
Comments: 10
Kudos: 18





	i don't wanna say goodnight (i've never been more sure)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bellawritess](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellawritess/gifts).



> this is for [bella](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellawritess) aka the loml who sent me [this prompt](https://escapesos.tumblr.com/post/634079142282952704/helloooooo-okay-man-im-excited-sorry-but) which i ended like That and then had to write a sequel to so,,,you should probably read that first.  
> thank you to [meghna](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunsetmagnolia/pseuds/sunsetmagnolia) for helping me work some things out with this fic, i appreciate you <3  
> anyways,,,enjoy omg my first jalex on ao3 how exciting

Alex loves Jack, and he loves Chicago, but maybe he loves Jack a little less when he drags him out of bed at four in the morning to explore Chicago.

That’s a lie. There’s nothing on Earth that would make Alex love Jack any less; his fate has already been sealed and he’s destined to be woken at odd hours of the morning to appease Jack’s need to wander. It’s a pretty good fate in Alex’s mind. 

A chill washes over his arms and he wishes he would’ve brought a heavier jacket. There’s only so much that Jack’s warm arm around his shoulders can do, and it’s nothing compared to the harsh city winds. Still, he can’t confidently say that he’d rather be back in his hotel room, under the covers, because Jack’s here and Jack wouldn’t be back in the room and Alex doesn’t want to be anywhere without Jack. 

The weight of the engagement ring rests heavily in Alex’s back pocket. 

“I love this city,” Jack whispers. 

When Alex looks over, Jack’s staring ahead into the night sky, face lit up by the buildings around them, still bustling with people working into the early morning. One building’s window lights spell out “GO CUBS!” in big, blue letters. Neon restaurant signs buzz around them and bathe Jack’s face in blues and purples, brightening his eyes and making him look  _ alive _ . No matter how much Alex sees this sight, or any sight similar to it, it doesn’t stop his nerves from lighting up or his heart from racing.

“Yeah,” He replies, still staring at Jack. “Me too.”

Jack turns to smile back at him, pulling him closer. Alex blushes like they haven’t been dating for half their lives, haven’t been casually touching and taking up each other’s spaces for longer than he can remember. As if he’s not a 33 year old man, but still a teenage boy in a new relationship, nervous and yet excited to discover Jack and this budding thing between them. It’s thrilling. It’ll stay thrilling.

“I remember the first time we came here,” Jack says, still looking around in wonder. A light drizzle falls from the sky, reflecting streetlights off the sidewalk and pushing Jack’s hair down against his forehead.

“Really?”

Jack hums, wrapping his other arm around Alex when he starts shivering. It makes walking a little awkward, but Alex is slightly warmer and he’s not going to complain about being close to Jack. “We were still young, barely even adults. I think we had, like, one show in some shitty venue that was falling apart.”

There’s a pause, and Alex isn’t sure if Jack’s doing it for the story-telling effect or if he’s truly just so enamored with this neon city they’ve visited countless times. He assumes it’s the latter; Jack has always loved places that are brimming with life, and Chicago’s never dead. At such a strange hour, Alex would expect that most people would be asleep, or at least inside, but never here. Cars still fly down the roads, 24 hour restaurants still have full tables, and Alex can hear laughter coming from the pier by North Avenue Beach. It’s a place meant for Jack.

Alex can admit that the city is beautiful and enchanting, but he doesn’t need the tangible bustle of other people like Jack does. He’s got one person of his own to fill his lungs and keep his heart beating. The whole world could disappear and Alex could still go on with only Jack by his side. 

“We did so many touristy things. Deep dish pizza from some hole-in-the-wall joint, took those dumb pictures underneath the Bean, went to Navy Pier. We were so annoying and naïve.” Alex snorts, silently agreeing. “But I felt the same about you then as I do now. I remember a night like this, making you walk around with me at some bizarre hour. You looked so beautiful under all the lights, Lex, I couldn’t believe it. To this day, I still can’t believe it. Any of it.”

Alex has stopped walking now, after stumbling over his own feet one too many times, stopping Jack with him. If it were anyone else, if it were a few years earlier, Alex thinks that Jack would look nervous and vulnerable. As it is, he is strong and unwavering in all things, but especially in his love for Alex. He faces Alex with so much open admiration, so powerfully that Alex feels it in his own muscles. His legs feel solid under him, and his heart beats steadfastly against his chest.

So maybe it’s that courage, or maybe it’s the glow of the city bringing everything into a different light, or maybe it’s just _Jack_. Whatever it is, Alex says, “Marry me.”

Jack blinks. Blinks again. “What?”

“Marry me,” Alex repeats, standing there like an idiot. “I have...I have a,” He pats his front pocket but the ring’s  _ not there _ . His chest seizes in panic as he pats around his pockets, desperately hoping to close his fingers around the small velvet box.

Meanwhile, Jack’s eyes grow wider and wider as Alex’s patting gets more frantic. “Alex, what are you doing?”

“I have a ring,” Alex says, checking his coat pockets. “Fuck, it better not be in the hotel room.”

“The hotel room? Alex, a ring? What-”

“Got it!” He exclaims, pulling the box from his back pocket and dropping down, very ungracefully and quite painfully, to one knee. Jack winces at the thud of Alex’s knee striking the pavement, but Alex doesn’t even feel it. His hands are shaking as he opens the box, presenting it to Jack. He feels slightly out of breath as he says, again, “Marry me, Jack. There’s nobody else I’d let drag me out in the cold to explore a place we’ve already been to. I don’t...I don’t want to see the world with anyone else, and I don’t want to stay home and watch bad movies with anyone else. You’re it. You always have been. Every word I speak and every song I sing is for you, every breath I take is yours. I want to be yours in every way possible. Marry me.”

Jack’s hands are frozen in the air, like he meant to cover his mouth and then forgot halfway through. A tear shines on his cheek, and his mouth is slightly parted. The rain still spits between them, pattering against the pavement at Jack’s feet, bouncing up and hitting Alex’s hands. The minutes don’t tick by any slower, like Alex expected; instead, it feels like someone has hit pause. They’re stuck in this frame, a picture-perfect scene of Alex on his knee, staring up at the love of his life, waiting for the answer he knows deep in his chest is coming.

Finally, Jack gasps in a stuttering breath and asks, “Did you plan this?”

“I mean, not really. I’ve had the ring for a few months, started carrying it everywhere with me about two weeks ago.”

Which is the most absurdly Alex answer, and it has Jack laughing. It’s teary and soft, but laughter nonetheless, the laughter of a happiness too big for his body. “Oh my God, of course I’ll marry you.”

Alex knew it was coming, but it still catches him off guard. He’s still frozen to the ground. “What? Really?”

“ _ Yes _ . Come on, kiss me.”

It’s Alex’s turn now to laugh as he tears himself from the wet ground and crashes into Jack, almost knocking them over. But they’re holding on to each other and their lips are pressed together in what may possibly be the best kiss of Alex’s life, though that ranking will only last until they’re both saying  _ I do _ .

They pull back, and it’s still cold outside and the lights are still throwing strange kaleidoscopes over Jack’s face and Alex isn’t sure why he was expecting to suddenly wake up at home, but he didn't. He’s here, in the coldest fucking city in the world with his  _ fiancé _ and they’re both grinning like idiots and Alex’s nose is running and his hands are shaking as he slips the ring onto Jack’s finger. There’s nowhere else he’d rather be.

“Come on,” Jack says once it’s on, pulling Alex in for one more kiss. “Let’s get you back to the hotel, where there’s a warm shower and a warm bed, and you can sleep while I spend the whole night staring at this fucking ring. And then, in the morning, we’ll tell Zack and Rian.”

Alex nods, and they begin the walk back. Tomorrow, they’ll tell their friends, probably their families. Eventually, they’ll tell the world, and it’ll be beautiful. One day, maybe in the next year, they’ll be sealing their love with physical, visible proof and it’ll be exciting. They’ll keep going through life together, like they always have, exploring new places and re-discovering old ones. Every day will be a new adventure to conquer.

For now, Alex is content to huddle close to Jack and keep this budding thing between them. As long as Jack’s here, Alex will always be content. 

**Author's Note:**

> hope u all liked it. hope u loved it bella. i wanna write jalex forever now.  
> kudos and comments are always apprecaited  
> come find me on [tumblr](https://escapesos.tumblr.com/) for more writing or to just chat with me!! <3
> 
> title from "for baltimore" by all time low, kudos to meghna for helping me pick it out


End file.
